Container inspecting apparatus



June 8, 1943. R. J. swEEZEY CONTAINER INSPECTING APPARATUS Filed July10, 1940 Z5 nventor .ADOBE/e7- J Sm/EZEY Patented Jilne 1943 A'UNITI-:oSTATES PATENT 2,321,331 .o1-Fics CONTAINER INSPECTING APPARATUS RobertJ. Sweezey, Los Angeles, Calll'.,asslgnorto Robert S. Burns ApplicationJuly 10, 1940, Serial No. 344,724 1|) Claims. (CI. 885-24) inspected,lincluding the bottom and the lower portions of the side walls thereof.`y

With these and other objects in view, as will Above the conveyor ispositioned the visual inspection means of my apparatus. This means isenclosed in an enclosure 2| which is supported on brackets 22 so that itmay be vertically adjusted with respect to the conveyor.

appear hereinafter, I havedevised a container inspection apparatushaving certain novel features of construction, combination, andarrangement of parts and portions, as will be hereinafter described indetail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing andto the characters of referencethereon which form a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a continuous belt conveyor` showinga means of intermittently operating container inspection means inassociation therewith for inspecting the interiors of cans'carried bythe conveyor;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevational view the same, and showingmy 3 of the inspection means only of my apparatus 40 with the sectiontaken at 2 2 of Fig. 1, and,-

Fig. 3 is a view of the underside of the visual inspection means; and,

Fig. 4 isa partial elevationaland partial sectional view apparatus, inwhich the image of the interior of the inspected can is seen from theside.

The conveyor I, upon which the containers, designated 2, are to beconveyed, may be of conventional form, and it may carry brackets orcleats 3 for supporting individual containers. In the drawing I haveshown diagrammatically a means for causing intermittent movement of theconveyor. Such means is shown as consisting of a crank wheel IIeccentrically connected by a link I2 to a rocker arm I3 carrying a pawlI4 which engages teeth of the ratchet I5. The rocker arm I3 and ratchetI5 are shown as mounted on the shaft I6 carrying one of the sprocketsIl, over which the conveyor belt I extends.

of a slightly modied form of my 45 25, the` bulb portions reector, andthe sockets being located outside` of the reflector.

The enclosure is substantially box-like. This enclosure has a4downwardly directed reflector 23 at'its under side. `At thegaxialportion of the reflector is a. tubular lensstructure or objective 24.Within the reector and around the objective are located' a plurality ofelectric light bulbs being located within the At the upper portion ofthe enclosure is provided a means upon which the irnlage, passingthrough the. objective, is projected.

This means is preferably a ground glass 26 located at the upper side oftheenclosure.

Overthe lower side of the enclosure is removably located a housing- 2l,the saine being hinged at 2`|=JL to one side of the enclosure vandremovably secured at 2lb to the opposite side thereof. At the centraland when the closure'ZI, the reflector member forms substantially `anoutward extension of the reflector 23.

The outer end of the objective 24 is located be- 5 lower edge of thereflector member 28 carried thereby. The reflector may be of anycross-section, but is preferably round and of substantially thediameter, or slightly larger than, the diameter of the neck of the cansurrounding the opening thereof.A With this arrangement, substantiallyall of the illumination from rectionvso that the` inspection means maybev lowered to just clear the necks surrounding the openings of cans ofdifferent heights.

The structure of Fig. 4 is similar to the one described, except that thetranslucent screen or ground glass, here designated 3|, although shownat the upper portion of the enclosure 2|, is located in the plane of theside, thatl is, in the side of the enclosure. In this instance the imagefrom the objective is projected on the ground glass 3| by any suitablemeans, such as a reflector 32.` ,f p

Though I have shown and described a particular construction,combination, and arrangement portion of the housing 2l is a reilectormember 28 which is outwardly divergingp housing 21 is closed against theenmy invention the construction, combination, and arrangementsubstantially as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

-1. In a container inspecting apparatus.- a belt conveyor having meansfor conveying containers having openings at the top, and a visualinspection means supported above the conveyor a distance suiiicient toallow clear passage of the containers on the conveyor, said meanscomprising an enclosure, an under side of the enclosure adapted to bealigned with the opening of one nating means surrounding said objectivelens, and means at the top of the enclosure upon which is projected theimage passing through the objective lens.

2. In a container inspecting apparatus, a belt conveyor having means forconveying containers having openings at the top, and a visualinspecobjectivel lens at the of the containers, illumi-A 'tive lens uponwhich is projected the image passtion means supported above the conveyora dis# tance sufficient to allow clear passage of containers on theconveyor, saidmeans comprising an enclosure, a reflector at the underside of the enclosure and directed downwardly, an ob-l jective lens atthe objective ,lens and spaced backwardly from the end of the latter,and means at the top of the enclosure upon which is projected the imagepassing through the objective lens.'

3. In a container inspecting apparatus,- a belt conveyor having meansfor conveying containers having openings at the top, and a visualinspection means supported above tance sufficient to allow clear passageof containers on the conveyor, said means comprising an enclosure, anobjectivelens at the under side of the enclosure adapted to be alignedwith the opening of one of the containers, illuminating meanssurrounding said objective lens, anda translucent screen upon whichl isprojected the image passing through the objective lens.

4. In a container inspecting apparatus, an intermittently moving beltconveyor having means for conveying containers having openings at thetop, and a visual inspection means supported above the conveyor adistance suilicient to allow clear passage of containers on theconveyor, said means comprisingan enclosure, an objective lens at theunder side of the enclosure in alignment with the path of the opening oithe containers and adapted axially to align with the opening of onecontainer when the conveyor is at rest, illuminating means -surroundingsaid objective lens, and means at the top of the enclosure upon which isprojected the image passing through the objective lens.

5. In a container inspecting apparatus, a con-4 veyor having means forconveying containers having openings at the top, and a visual inspectionmeans supported above the conveyor and capable of-being aligned directlywith one of! the container openings, saidinspec 'on means beingadjustable in a vertical direction with respect to theconveyor, theadjusted elevation of the ina-,

spection means above the conveyor being suiiicient to allow clearpassage of containers of different heights on the conveyor with theinspection means positioned immediately adjacent said container opening.

6. In a container inspecting apparatus, a conmiddle of the reector,illuminating means within the reector around the the conveyor a dis atthe top of the enclosure anda prising an enclosure,

of one of the containers, i rounding said objective lens,v

2 assnssi i arts and rtions, Ido not wish to be limited veyor having'means for conveying" containers I tto the same, grit desire to includein the scope of having openings at the side opposite the conveyor,

visual inspection means supported outwardly from the conveyor andcontainers thereon. adistance suilicient to allow clear passage or thecontainersY on the conveyor, said means comv an objective lens at theadjacent the container aligned with the openinl illuminating meanssurside ot the enclosure openings adapted to be side portion of theenclosure opposite the objecing through the objective lens.

1. In a container termittently moving belt conveyor having means forconveying containers having openings at the side opposite the conveyor,and a visual inspection means supported outwardly from the coni veyorand containers thereon. a distancesumcient to allow clear passage of thecontainers on the conveyor, said means comprising an enclosure. anobjective lens at the side of the enclosure adjacent the opening adaptedto be aligned with the opening of one of the containers, illuminatingmeans surrounding said objective lens, and means, at the side portion ofthe enclosure opposite the objective lens, upon which is projectedthe'image passing through the objective lens.

8. In a container inspecting apparatus, a conveyor havingmeans forconveying containers' having' openings at the side opposite theconveyor, and avisual inspection means supported outwardly from theconveyor and containers thereon and capable of beinglaligned directlywith one of the container openings, said inspection means beingadjustable transversely with respect to the spect to the conveyor beingsuillcient to allow clear passage of containers of different heights onthe conveyor with the inspection means positioned immediately adjacentsaid container opening.

9. In a container inspection apparatus, a belt conveyor having means forconveying containers having openings at the iside opposite the conveyor,and a visual inspection means supported outwardly from the -conveyor andcontainers thereon, said inspection means comprising an enclosure, areflector carried by said enclosure at the side adjacent the conveyor,an objective lens at the middle of the reflector, its outer end beingsubstantially flush with the outer portion of the reflector,illuminating means within the reiiector around the objective lens andspaced backwardly from the outer end of the objective lens, and means atthe opposite portion of thefenclosure from the reflector 'and objectivelens upon which is projected the image passing through the latter.

10. vIn a container inspecting apparatus, a conveyor having means forconveying containers having openings at the side opposite the conveyor,and a visual inspection meansl supported outwardly from the conveyor andcontainers thereon a distance suiiicien-t to allow clear passage of thecontainers on the conveyor, said fmeans comprising an objective adjacentthe contamer openings adapted to be aligned with the opening o f one of.the containers, illuminating means surrounding said objective, andmeans in connection with said objective for receiving the imageprojected thereby.

ROBERT J. SWEEZEY.

and means at the v inspecting apparatus, an in. v

conveyor, the adjustment with re-A

